Listen and Open Your Eyes
by Yumi-chan-Hamano
Summary: Yuu finds himself in a strange world that replicated the world he knew, only that no one familiar was there. He meets a mysterious blond that held answers to help him out of the world that he had been stuck in for a while.
1. Chapter 1

Yuu groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head was throbbing but the rest of his body felt rather light. Ignoring the pain, he sat up. He kept his eyes shut as he tried to will away the pain. As useless as it sounded, it did indeed gradually subside.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on someone's lawn. He looked up at the house that loomed over him. There was something familiar about it, but he didn't recognize it. The pounding was starting again so this time he tried to shake his head to rid himself of the headache. Standing up, he made his way away from the property.

The streets were eerily quiet. Yuu expected cars, stray animals, _people_. But he was met with silence.

He walked. He didn't know where he was going, but he walked on. Dressed in his black t-shirt with a light white jacket on, the temperature was neither hot nor cold. Not even a gush of wind was blowing.

Yuu started to become desperate. He wanted to find someone, _anyone_. He didn't want to be alone.

He paused when he heard something creak. The sound of metal grinding on each other, squeaking on contact. A swing.

Yuu looked around him and found the small opening to the local park. The one he always went to after school with his friends. His little legs ran as quickly as he could manage. He could almost see the faces of his friends as they laughed and played around the play structure placed in the middle of the park.

But when he arrived, none of them were there. He was breathing heavily as he looked around. None of his friends were there. But the squeaking of the swing was still prominent.

Yuu made this way around the play structure to the swing set behind it. There was a little girl, probably younger than him by a year or two. She looked kind of like the little kindergarteners that were at his school.

"Hi. Um, are you here by yourself?" Yuu asked. The little girl did not reply. Her feet were barely touching the ground as she swung back and forth on the swing.

Yuu noticed that the swing seemed to be a little lower to the ground than he remembered as if to accommodate her small statue. He decided to join her when she didn't reply. He sat down on the swing and swung back and forth. He loved swings, but he loved it even more when his friends where around as they would all push with all their strength to send one of them flying high into the sky.

He looked back at her as her feet kept brushing the ground briefly to keep her momentum. Aside from her leg moving, she was almost still.

After another couple of minutes, Yuu didn't want to wait anymore. He stepped off the swing and looked at the pigtailed girl. She continued to swing while her gaze was glued to the ground.

"I'm going now. Do you want to come?" Yuu asked. There was no reply once again. "Well, bye then."

He decided to go visit his school. Judging by the high sun, he might be late for school. He knew that it could be the weekend but the streets would be busy with life and noise if it was. The streets were awfully boring during the week days.

By the time he reached the school, the gates were not closed as they should be when classes have started. But they would also be closed if it was the weekend. Instead of going inside the large white building, he went around to the back of the school. There was always a class having gym every period. But he was greeted by an empty field once again.

Yuu looked back at the school. All the windows were closed. It was such a nice day that he thought the teachers would like them opened to let in the fresh air as they would say.

But his thoughts were interrupted by the rustling of leaves. He looked back at the forest that was beyond the fields that belonged to their school. No one was allowed in here as it was easy to lose someone inside the forest. But he vividly remembered a class trip for a picnic during family day.

The teacher had prepared sandwiches for everyone as they set up the perfect picnic spot inside. The only reason they were allowed inside was because of the presence of their guardians to watch over the children.

Yet, Yuu felt something else drawing him in. As if the forest was calling to him, telling him to go closer.

The forest wasn't as intimidating as everyone made it out to be. He always boasted about going in alone and making it out fine. Of course, that got him into trouble despite not taking action as he knew he wasn't allowed. An 8 year old could only dream.

But this time, there was no one holding him back. No one to tell him not to.

So he went forward.

The school made a pathway for classes to make class trips into the forest. He heard that he would be able to do that too when he gets older. It was a yearly tradition that the oldest kids at the school go into the forest with their teachers to study the plants in the forest.

Yuu wasn't that interested in nature, but he was definitely easily fascinated by the different flowers found in the forest. And there was a bunch in the middle of the clearing.

When Yuu was admiring the flowers, all standing tall and in full bloom, he noticed a wooden bridge at the other end of the field. He never remembered anyone mention about a bridge in the forest. Maybe he went so deep into the forest that no one has been here.

With a flower in hand, he walked towards the bridge with the intention to find out what's one the other side.

"Stop!"

Yuu froze. He was only three steps away from reaching the wooden bridge that led to a new mystery. However, he didn't recall the other side of the bridge to be so bright.

"What are you doing here?" Yuu turned around to see a small child. He was almost as big as the little girl he saw earlier. But his hair was curly and a light blond colour and his eyes a bright blue.

"Um, I…" Yuu stuttered as he failed to come up with a lie. He noticed how the other's eyes trailed from his face to the flower in hand.

"What colour is the flower in your hand?"

Yuu looked down at the flower. He didn't mean to pluck it out of the ground. He really liked it because it was a nice pretty orange flower.

"Orange?" Yuu said as he looked from the flower to the boy. "Did you want it?"

The blond shook his head and walked towards Yuu. Only then did he know he was about a head taller than the small boy.

"You can't cross that bridge."


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't cross that bridge? Well watch me!" Yuu said as he turned to do as he said but before he could even take the first step, he could feel a tug on his jacket.

"You can't come back if you go!" the boy yelled.

"I can't? But it's just a bridge," Yuu said but stopped struggling against the younger boy. But he had a pretty strong grip for something younger than him.

"It's not just a bridge," the boy said as he let go of Yuu's jacket. "People don't come back when they cross it."

"Then… where do they go?" Yuu asked and the blond shifted his gaze away.

"I… I don't know… They just… They don't come back, that's what the man told me."

"What man?" Yuu asked. The blond tugged at Yuu's jacket to lead him away from the bridge. He was still confused how the simple wooden bridge was dangerous but followed anyways. The blond stopped by a patch of purple flowers and sat down. Yuu took the invitation to sit near the kid, toying with the little purple flower by his foot.

"I don't know how long it's been, but it feels like a long while since he's been gone." Yuu looked up at him but his eyes were focused on the flower Yuu had been toying with.

"He's gone?"

"He crossed the bridge."

Neither boys spoke after. The soft rustling of leaves was the only thing to be heard between the two. That and something muffled, as if it was a bit out of his hearing range.

"He told me, before he left, when someone stopped seeing colours, it was time for them to cross the bridge." Yuu looked down at the flower in his hand. The brightly orange flower contrasted greatly against the deep violet colour of the smaller flowers. "What colours are these flowers?"

"Um, purple?" Yuu answered as the blond reached to touch one of the small flowers.

"They look grey to me," the blond frowned. "So was that flower in your hand…"

"Does that mean…" Yuu's words trailed off at the thought. He didn't want to lose the only person that was talking to him. But the bright blue eyes almost looked at him with surprise before a soft smile graced his face.

"I can still see the green of your eyes," he said and then looked up, "and the blue of the sky. Until those are gone as well, I'm still stuck here."

Yuu only nodded, unsure what to say. He too looked up to see the blue sky over their heads with a few occasional clouds. The sun was bright but not blinding. It felt serene just to stare up at the clear sky and become lost in a trance.

But the sounds got louder, it sounded like voices. Voices that were familiar to him.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Yuu asked and the blond looked at him. He titled his head to the side.

"Hear what?"

"I don't know, voices?" Yuu asked and the blond's confusion changed into a smile.

"Go follow them," the blond said and it was Yuu's turn to be confused.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to go off by yourself and talk to strangers?" Yuu asked and the blond shook his head.

"Trust me, it's a good thing."

It was a little hard to trust a kid who looked even younger than him. But at the same time, he seemed to be saved from certain doom of the mysterious bridge.

"What am I supposed to do?" Yuu asked.

"Um, I was told that following them was a good idea. They'll help you leave here," the blond said as he tapped in chin in thought.

"Leave here?" Yuu asked, "But where's here?"

The blond shrugged. Yuu frowned at the lack of information. There were so many questions that came from that simple statement, yet the blond didn't hold the questions he needed.

"Then, will you come with me?" Yuu asked and the blond shook his head.

"I… I like it here. I want to see the colours of the flowers again." Yuu didn't have the heart to ask again when he saw the fond look on the blond's face. He couldn't imagine how it was like to not see certain colours, it just sounded awful.

"How can I find you again?" Yuu asked. The blond looked surprised by the question but then shook his head.

"There's no need to find me again. Just got back to where you came from. You'll find what you need there," he said, looking at the forest path. Yuu stood up and stared at the pathway. The little pathway the school made something led him here, where he met the blond. But now he was to go back. But no one was there on the other side of the forest.

"Do I need to find everyone else?" Yuu exclaimed at the small child.

"Ah… something like that," he said and stood up as well. He walked a few steps before kneeling down with his back turned to Yuu. Yuu tried to lean to the side to see what the other boy was doing but the blond stood up again as soon as Yuu almost caught a glimpse.

"Here," the blond said, holding out a red flower. "This is the only colour of the flowers I can see. It's probably not that special, but maybe you can give it to someone if you find them."

"Oh, thank you," Yuu said and took the flower. The blond smiled at him. "Also, what's your name?"

"Isn't it rude to ask for someone else's name without telling them yours?" the blond asked. Yuu blinked a few times as he realized he didn't even introduce himself in the confusion.

"Oh sorry, the name's Yuuichirou, but everyone just calls me Yuu."

"Yuu…" the blond repeated and then looked up at him, "You can call me Mika."

"Mika huh? I wonder if we know each other from somewhere," Yuu said but Mika just smiled at him again.

"You should go," Mika said and looked at the dirt path again.

"Oh yeah, um, thank you again for the flower," Yuu said and ran back to the path. He paused just at the entrance and waved at Mika who waved back. He ran through the forest as the voices came back. He didn't know where they were coming from but he wanted to know where everyone was.

Mika watched as Yuu disappeared into the forest, something he was not brave enough to do. He looked at the little flowers and spotted little specks of purple. He picked the little flower and stuck it behind his ear.

"Goodbye and good luck, Yuu-chan. Don't be stuck here like me."


	3. Chapter 3

Yuu looked back briefly at the forest that was now in the distance. Remembering about what Mika said to him, he went on to look around the school. It was quiet once again, but he could hear voices. It's like they were calling for him.

He entered the building through the front entrance. The lights were on but no one was around.

He went to his classroom to not be surprised when it was empty. He went to his seat and looked at the permanent marker drawing on the top of his desk. Shinoa decided that it was acceptable to draw on his desk when she was bored. Needless to say, they got in trouble.

Oddly enough, he could almost hear her annoying voice telling him about her drawing as she was drawing it. As much as he said he didn't like her, she was his friend and Yuu started to miss his friends.

He looked in his desk and was surprised to see everything was there. He suddenly thought about Mika and pulled out a few of his exercise books to share with the blond. He still held the flowers that Mika gave him but he decided to leave them on Shinoa's desk. She'll probably like them.

Leaving his homeroom classroom, he went around looking at the other classrooms, the offices, the gym and change rooms; he even checked the boys' washrooms. But still, no one was to be found.

Yuu found it hard to imagine anyone was around, but then again it was _school_ and no one likes to hang around the school. Not even the teachers who also seemed to dread the last hour before the bell of dismissal sounded, freeing them all from their daily prison.

Yuu left the building and circled around it twice. Still, no one was found. Yuu was positive it was a Sunday since no one was around.

He walked over to the large tree in the back of the schoolyard and picked up the exercise books he dropped off when he went to look around the school. The books did get pretty heavy after carrying them around for a while.

The books were all different colours. He wondered which ones Mika could see. But he didn't dwell on that question for too long before walking back into the forest.

With his two hands occupied, the trek was slightly more difficult as he was smacked in the face with a branch. He grumbled something under his breath until he made it to the clear patch of land. And just as before, it was empty save for the flowers that grew in patches around the land.

"Miiiiiikaaaaaaaaa," Yuu called out as he stepped into the opening. "Where are youuuuuuuuuuu?"

Yuu looked around but all he saw was trees and the bridge. The bridge that held mysteries that Yuu wanted to solve. He looked around once more before slowly making his way towards the wooden structure. There was nothing special about it. But Yuu could not make out what was on the other end of it, nor could he see the other end. There was a soft glow coming from the other side but not blinding like the sun. But it gave off warmth that made Yuu want to walk towards it, find out what it is.

"Yuu-chan?" He spun around and smiled. The blond looked at him with curiosity before his gaze felt on the books in his arms. "What are those?"

"These are for you," Yuu said as he walked over to the shorter boy. He sat down the soft grass and laid out all the books in front of him. "I found my exercise books so I thought I would share them with you."

"But what if I can't read?" Mika said. Yuu paused with the yellow notebook in his hand and looked up at Mika who was still standing in front of the books. Mika stared back him.

"You can't read?"

"No, I can." Silence followed the answer before the two boys started laughing. Neither knew what was so funny but it just felt right in the moment. After the laughter subsided, Yuu started explaining what each of the books were. He had seven books in total but he only brought five with him. Mika still appreciated the thought.

Mika was able to distinguish the green and red books, but the other three was lost on him as they all appeared to be different shades of grey. Yuu tried to explain some of the content inside so that Mika could tell them apart even without the colour coding, but it ended up being the blond explaining back to him what he wrote. Mika was surprising good at the Japanese workbook as he corrected Yuu's work as he read the written words.

Yuu didn't know how long it was but he heard the voices again. But it was different. They were clearer than before but he still couldn't tell who it was. He felt like he knew who the voices belonged to but he needed to get closer to heard them.

"Yuu-chan." At the call of his name, he looked back at Mika who was staring down at the Japanese workbook. "What colour is this again?"

"Yellow?" he replied. Mika continued to stare at the book.

"Yellow… Is this what yellow looks like?" All his previous thoughts were pushed aside as he smiled brightly at his friend.

"You can see it?!" Yuu exclaimed excitedly and Mika nodded slowly.

"I think so. Green, red, yellow," Mika said in the order he put the book in front of him. "Am I right?"

"Yes!" Yuu shouted as he flung himself at Mika, engulfing the smaller boy in a tight hug. "You can see another colour now!"

Mika didn't respond but hugged back. Yuu continued to laugh and shout about how cool that was. He honestly wanted to share something with Mika, he did not intend for it to help Mika see colours again.

"I heard the voices again!" Yuu said as he held Mika at arm's length. The blond looked surprised for a moment before the warm smile he normally carried returned. "I'll bring back something else for you again!"

"Thank you Yuu-chan," Mika said and Yuu smiled in response.

"That's what friends are for!" Yuu said before standing up again. "Don't go anywhere! I'm going to come back!"

Before Mika could respond, Yuu ran off into the dense forest. Mika smiled and looked down at the books scattered on the grassy field. He picked up the yellow notebook. Running his hands on the smooth paper texture, he couldn't help but smile. One by one he lost the ability to see colours, but for the first time, he gained back a colour. Yellow.

Seeing how excited Yuu was made him really giddy and happy to. Yuu was the happiest person he met in this world. He frowned at the thought. Yuu didn't belong here, he deserved to go back. And after he leaves, Mika will be alone again.


	4. Chapter 4

Yuu walked along the familiar road. The road back to his house.

He put one foot in front of the other as he walked on the solid white line on the ground. He held out his arms straight to balance himself. He stumbled a few times trying to stay on the white line, but he stopped in front of the park. He paused for a second before leaving the straight line and walked into the park.

Once again, the girl was there on the swing. There was nothing different from the last time he saw her. Yuu wondered if she moved at all aside from swinging softly back and forth of the swing.

"Hey, so like, I met this boy," Yuu said but the girl didn't respond like before. "His name is Mika. He's been really nice. Do you want to come meet him?"

Once again, his only reply was silence. Yuu kicked around the pebble by his foot while he waited for some sort of response. Before he left, he thought about bring her one of the flowers. She would probably like it.

Yuu walked back on the road but didn't bother to walk on the white line. He walked down the middle on the road since it was rare that there were no cars around. He remembered being scolded by his mother for jumping all over the place when they walk home from the grocery store.

He stopped walking.

His heart clenched and his eyes watered at the thought of his mother. His memory was fuzzy as he thought about her. He couldn't make out her features as he scrambled his brain to think about what she looked like or even sounded like. He could barely remember her.

The voices were calling again. It was clearer than before but none of them matched his mother. And he recognized the voices, he knows those people, but he can't remember who they belong to.

He started running in the direction where the voices were coming from. He needed to know who was calling him. His vision blurred with tears but he pressed on and wiped them away with his sleeve. He slowly decreased in speed and when he stopped, he was panting from exerting so much energy in a short period of time. He looked around where he was and his eyes landed on a familiar building. His neighbour's house.

Yuu could hear the voices coming from the house. The gates were unlocked so he walked in. He could see the beautiful rose garden that his neighbour tended to every spring. He walked up on the patio, the wooden steps creaking under his feet.

He rang the doorbell but no one answered. He sat on one of the lounge chairs on their patio while waiting. He heard the voices once again, faint, but he could hear them.

He hopped out of the comfy lounge chairs and walked around to the back. It was a large empty space with a vegetable garden in the back corner. His neighbours loved to grow their own food. He walked towards the growing patch when his foot hit something. That something rolled away from him and he saw that it was a basketball.

Yuu walked two steps before picking up the spherical object. Upon brief inspection, he knew it was his. He looked over the wooden fence to the house that stood next to his neighbours.

A feeling of dread filled him when he looked at the house. He started breathing heavily and he grasped the ball tighter in his small hands. He didn't know why but he felt extremely uncomfortable. He could hear different sounds all screaming angrily in his ears. Screaming, shouting, sirens, and… crying?

He had to tear his eyes away from his house. It took him a moment before he took to the street and ran down the path he took. He was so overwhelmed by everything happening at the same time. He could hear someone call him. Calling out his name. _Yuuichirou, Yuuichirou_. He couldn't take it, he had to leave.

He was back at the school before he knew it. He collapsed in the middle of the road, breathing heavily while he looked at the large building that was his school.

He felt so exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The heavy feeling in his heart never left when he ran away. The feeling of dread slowly dissipated but it did nothing to calm his heart. He held the basketball closer to him as a source of comfort. He wanted to find Mika again. Find Mika and just talk to the boy before his mind goes wild again. But his thoughts trailed back to the screams he heard.

Yuu immediately let go of the ball and clasped his hands over his ears. His eyes were shut tight but the screams still haunted him. They were unpleasant and made him feel uncomfortable all over.

He thought about Mika and the warm smile the blond always wore around him. With renewed hope, Yuu stood up and walked over to the basketball that was stopped by the iron gates. He picked up the object before running to the forest. He needed someone to talk to, something to distract him from the unsettling feeling in his gut. His legs threatened to give away as he ran on the well-trimmed lawn that led to the forest where Mika was.

Yuu tried hard to ignore how the branches scraped against his skin as he ran through the dirt path. He could feel the dull pain but his determination to find Mika pushed him through it.

He finally made it to the bright opening to find Mika standing by the bridge. Yuu opened his mouth to call out to the blond but he noticed a distinct figure walking down the bridge. The silhouette of a child about his age was slowly disappearing into the bright light on the other side as Mika watched on.

The ball dropped from Yuu's hands when he saw the silhouette sparkled and disappeared as they walked further away.

When Mika turned around, Yuu couldn't speak as he tried to comprehend what he just saw. But Mika was in equal shock judging from the wide eyes staring back at him.

"Yuu-chan… I…"

"Where did she go?"


	5. Chapter 5

Mika was reading the history workbook when he heard rustling. He put down the book in his usual spot as he walked out to greet Yuu. But he was not greeted by Yuu, but a girl around Yuu's age.

"Hello," the girl said warmly. Mika blinked a few times before stammering a reply.

"H-hi." He wasn't used to seeing others ever since Saito left and Yuu was the only other person he's been talking to recently. Oddly enough, he never felt this nervous around the boy.

"Do you know where I am?" she asked as she looked around. Mika noted the single braid that laid on her right shoulder.

"A-are you looking for someone?" Mika asked instead of answering for he didn't know what to tell her.

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed and looked back at Mika. Her soft brown eyes matched her hair but there was something else to them. They were blank. "I was just with my mother, but I can't seem to find her."

"Oh, I see," Mika said and looked down at the little yellow flowers by his feet. "There are a lot of nice flowers here, would you like to bring one with you?"

The girl looked around with a frown on her face.

"They're all grey though…" Mika changed his frown into a smile before the other noticed.

"Ummm, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's Akane!" the girl smiled. It seemed to be easy to distract her.

Mika gasped, pretending to be surprised. "You're Akane-chan? Your mother came by and asked me if I saw you."

"Really?" Akane exclaimed, but nothing was reflected in her blank eyes. "Where did she go?"

"She went to look for you there," Mika said and pointed to the bridge. "I think she's waiting on the other side."

"What's over there?" Akane asked, her voice waivered slightly. Mika only shook his head in reply.

"I don't know. She went over there to look for you, but I didn't see her again," Mika lied and Akane moved closer to the bridge.

"I can't see anything over there," Akane said and touched the wooden railing. "But mother must be worried about me… I never lost her before…"

"I'm sure you'll find her…" Mika said as he strained a smile. Akane seemed like such a nice girl. It was so sad to see her leave.

"Um…" Mika looked up at the girl smiling sheepishly at him. "I didn't ask for your name."

"Oh," Mika blinked at the thought. "It's not important."

"It is! I need to tell mother about that you helped me!"

"It's Mika." Akane smiled.

"Thank you Mika-kun! I'll be sure to come find you again with mother!" Mika didn't try to keep his fake smile when she turned around. Her shoes tapped gently against the wooden bridge. Mika watched as she got closer and closer to the other side. Even though it was his third time watching someone cross the bridge, it made it no easier. Her body started to glow and sparkle before disappearing into the air.

A dull thud was heard behind him and when he turned around, Yuu was staring right in his direction. Seeing how shaken Yuu was, Mika knew that he saw the whole thing. But how was he going to explain what just happened to his new friend.

"Yuu-chan… I…"

"Where did she go?" Mika bit his lip as he looked away from Yuu. He wanted to avoid talking about it with Yuu if possible. The boy was full of hope and there was no easy way of putting it into words.

"I… I don't know."

"Bullshit!" Mika gasped at the choice of words that came from Yuu. "You know what's going on! You told me not to go and now… now… they… I…"

"I… I'm sorry…"Mika stood in place as he stared at his feet. Tears started to form against his will and ran down his cheeks. His hands grasped the materials of his shorts as he tried to stop crying. He had no right to cry. He had been the one to hide the truth from Yuu. If anything, Yuu had the right to be mad at him and leave. After all, Yuu never belonged here in the first place.

He started sniffing as he tried to calm down but his whole body was working against him. In his blurry vision, he could see the pair of running shoes that belonged to Yuu. Mika closed his eyes and waited for Yuu to shout or yell at him, or even hit him, but it never came. Instead, he hugged Mika.

"I'm sorry too… I didn't mean to be so mad at you," Yuu whispered. Mika was overwhelmed by another emotion, joy, but he still could not stop crying.

Yuu brought up one of his hands to caress Mika's hair while the blond cried into the other's shoulder with his arms wrapped Yuu. He tried to apologize and whisper other comforting things his teachers said to the kids that would scrape their knee on the concrete ground. Soon, the muffled cries slowly subsided and Mika pulled away from Yuu.

"Sorry…" was the first thing that Mika said.

"It's okay. Are you okay?" Yuu asked and Mika nodded. "Could you… you know, tell me?"

"I… I don't think it's a good idea…"

"Pleaseeeeeee?" Yuu begged, "It's not every day you watch someone disappear into a million pieces!"

"She didn't…" Mika paused. He knew a million was a very big number but didn't know if it was a million pieces. "I… I don't know how you'll think about it if I told you."

"So you'll tell me?" Yuu asked excitedly. The curiosity was eating away at him and he had to know. He will admit that it was pretty scary to see her disappear just like that. She just walked into the light and suddenly she was gone!

"I don't want to…"

"Come on Mika! You said you would!"

Mika looked up at Yuu and hesitated against the excitement radiating off his friend. There was no other way to put it so he stated bluntly, "She's dead."


	6. Chapter 6

Mika watched as Yuu's face went from excited to confused to conflicted. He bit his lips as he waited for Yuu to say something. Mika wanted to know what Yuu made of the information he just told him but it seemed that Yuu was not going to talk.

Mika scrambled his brain to find something else to talk about and Yuu finally spoke.

"Then… are we dead too?" Mika looked up at Yuu in surprise but Yuu looked serious, not something Mika was expecting.

"N-no, we're not," Mika replied. That seemed to lighten some burden from Yuu but silence filled the space that never existed until now.

"So… where did she go?" Yuu asked as he toyed with the flower in front of him.

"She's… she's where she belongs…"

"Oh… Where do I belong?"

"Not here," Mika said so firmly that it surprised Yuu.

"Then what do I do?" Yuu asked. Mika was worried at how scared and vulnerable Yuu looked. The boy had always been strong unlike him. But that had seemed to changed.

"You follow the voices. Find who they are. Remember what happened last."

"How do you know all this?" Yuu asked.

"There used to be this man with me. He knew everything," Mika said before he looked down at his lap, "but he's gone now."

"Gone?" Yuu asked and Mika nodded. He looked away and Yuu founded his line of sight. He was looking at the bridge. "Did he… go?"

"Yeah… He used to help people like you and me, help people back or… leave…"

"But why did he…"

"He lost his colours."

"Colours?" Yuu asked. "But you…"

"I know," Mika smiled sadly. "I'm waiting until-"

"No! You can't leave! You… you… you're my friend! What will I do without you?!" Yuu asked frantically. The thought of being alone scared him for some reason. The clenching feeling returned to the point it was almost hard to breathe. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want Mika to leave. He didn't want to die.

"That's why I will help you before you leave," Mika smiled, but it no longer brought the comfort Yuu wanted. He reached out to the boy and hugged him tightly.

"I will help you too. Yeah! I can help you! Remember how you saw yellow again?" Yuu exclaimed before letting go of Mika. By the time Yuu was up and running away, Mika was still in a daze of what happened. Yuu returned shortly with a spherical object in hand. "Do you know what this Is? "

"I…" Mika studied the colourless object as it looked familiar but he hadn't seen one in a long time, "It's a ball?"

"Of course it's a ball! What kind is it?" Mika studied the darker line patterns on the object but could not remember the name of it. Yuu looked so determined that Mika didn't have the heart to say that he couldn't see. "A round ball?"

"It's a basketball! How can you not-" Yuu stopped his shouting when he saw Mika reached for the ball in his hands. He let Mika take it and examine it closer. After all, he wanted Mika to have it in the first place.

"It's a basketball," Mika repeated as he traced his hands on the smooth surface of the dark lines. "It's a bright colour right?"

"Yeah… but my ball is kinda dirty so it's not so bright anymore," Yuu said and Mika laughed a little.

"It's still really nice, but I don't think orange was my favourite colour," Mika said and Yuu's eyes widened.

"You can see?" Mika nodded with a smile.

"My dad was a basketball fan," Mika said and Yuu's smiled faltered. "What's wrong?"

"I can't remember my mom… or dad… I… I want to, but when I looked at my house, I… I got his weird feeling and I don't like it," Yuu said as the voices returned. It was faint but he knew that they were calling for him. "And now these stupid voices won't leave me alone!"

"Yuu-chan," Mika called out as he removed Yuu's hands from his ears. Yuu opened his teary eyes and looked at Mika. The smaller boy stood up and pressed a small kiss on his forehead. Yuu blushed a million shades of red as Mika smiled. "Mama always gave me kisses on my forehead when I was sad. Do you feel better?"

Yuu only nodded. He did feel better but now he was embarrassed about acting so weirdly around Mika. The other must hate him now.

"And those voices aren't stupid. They're calling for you because they care about you, because they want you to wake up," Mika said.

"Then am I dreaming?" Yuu asked in confusion.

"You could say that… I guess. But you've been sleeping for a long time," Mika said, "You need to wake up soon."

"Then what about you? Are you dreaming too?" Yuu asked.

"I've been here for a long time, Yuu-chan," Mika said and looked up at the sky, "Did you ever notice the sun never sets and there is no night?"

Yuu also looked up and the sun was up in the same place as always. There was never once where it was not high up in the sky.

"No..."

"Saito-san always told me that the sun never sets for some people and the sun never rises for others," Mika said as they both continue to stare at the light source. "I never knew what he meant."

"Saito-san?"

"Oh, the man I told you about," Mika said in a way too causally for Yuu's liking. "That's his name."

"But then why did he leave if he was helping everyone he met?" Yuu asked but immediately regretted it with the unreadable expression on Mika's face.

"He was sad he couldn't help this one little girl. He tried so hard, but even when it was her time to leave, she won't leave. Saito-san was really sad and then it was his time to leave. He had to go and I can't stop him. I… I don't want him to be like her. And when it's my turn, I will leave too," Mika said but Yuu wanted to deny it. Mika was going to go with him, not crossing that bridge. They will make it out together.

"I-I just need to follow those voices, right? Then we can go to them and leave together," Yuu said but Mika shook his head.

"I no longer hear voices."


	7. Chapter 7

and the plot thickens ouo

(also thank you to the kind people who reviewed 33 I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned!)

* * *

Mika had been staring at the basketball as he studied the bumps and ridges with his finger. Yuu was asking too many personal questions which brought up memories. Memories that Mika had to work on suppressing again. He didn't blame the other; he was curious, he was scared, he wanted to know.

Mika once felt annoying to Saito when he asked questions when they popped up in his mind. But the man always calmly smiled and replied to all of them.

"Mika," the blond looked up from the ball, "I'm scared."

"There's nothing to be afraid of Yuu-chan," Mika said. How hypocritical of him. He knew why Yuu was afraid, the same reason why he was. But there were people on the other side waiting for him, calling out to reach him. Unlike him, Yuu had a chance for escape if he were to face what haunted him

"Then will you come with me?" Yuu asked and it completely caught Mika off guard. He was not expecting such a request despite the conversation they were having. Part of him wanted to reject the idea altogether, move onto another topic but that would warrant a conversation that Mika wanted to avoid. Yuu took the moment silence as his cue to convince his friend. "I don't know if I can do this by myself, Mika. Besides, maybe we'll even find a way to help you."

Mika pondered for a bit but the hopeful look on Yuu's face gave him no room to say no. Mika finally gave a short nod and Yuu cheered.

The celebration was short-lived as they exited the forest together. The situation was daunting when Yuu actually thought about it. He resorted to introducing Mika to his school to take his mind off everything that was happening. Yuu even suggested they took a look around the building but Mika declined the idea and insisted they move on. Yuu didn't press further on the topic.

Instead, Yuu talked about his classes and his friends. The more he talked about them, the more he missed them.

"Do you want to see them again?" Mika asked.

"Of course I do! Some of them might not be normally nice… or at all, but they're my friends," Yuu said and turned his head to look at Mika. "Do you miss your friends?"

"I don't have any."

"Oh… But what about me? Am I your friend?" Yuu asked.

"Of course Yuu-chan is my friend! But you're right here so I don't miss you yet," Mika smiled.

"What about that Saito guy? Is he your friend too?"

"Saito-san? Hmm, he is my friend and I do miss him. But I know he's happier now."

"Why do you say that?" Yuu asked.

"He was smiling when he left."

They walked in silence with Yuu leading the way. The journey back to his house seemed a lot quicker. The voices were much more evident when neither of them was talking so Yuu racked his brain to find something to talk about.

As they passed the daycare close to the school, Yuu was reminded of the little girl at the park. He told Mika about the little girl that wouldn't answer him no matter how much he called out to her. He suggested once again that they stopped by and try talking to her but Mika rejected the idea once again. When he spotted the sign to the park, Yuu wanted to try a second attempt. But he turned to his side to speak with Mika only to find the boy was not by his side.

"Mika?" Yuu turned down around to find him standing a couple of feet away from him. "What are you doing over there?"

"I'm trying to remember the way back," Mika said before walking up to Yuu.

"You don't have to since you're coming with me," Yuu said and Mika smiled in response.

"We should keep walking," Mika gently reminded and they continued walking, "And I already said that I can't hear the voices anymore."

"Why does that matter? I can hear them and you can come with me, right?"

"These voices will guide you back. And I have no one waiting for me anymore, my parents are dead."

Yuu wanted to ask but his words were lost at the sight of his house. The terrible feeling was back. He knew this was a bad idea but Mika insisted that they came.

In an instant, the perfect fine standing house was engulfed in flames and black smoke covered the sky.

"M-Mika," Yuu called out and do his whole body voice trembled with fear, "M-My house… it's on f-fire… I can hear someone, I think I know them… but, but, I can't remember who…" Yuu said as he sank to his knees and his hands clasped over his ears as he tried to remember. He could feel a small hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him.

The voice that had been calling him the whole walk here was now clear as day. It was a female voice.

"Is it your parents? " Mika asked but Yuu shook his head as another series of images flashed in his head.

"N-no, my mom, she's-she's dead and there was s-so much blood everywhere, and then dad, he-" Yuu held back his sobs was he remembered how his own father chased him with a sharpened knife in his hand. How he was calling Yuu a devil spawn and wanting to rid the Earth of such evil.

"Yuu-chan? Are you okay? Y-Yuu-chan?" Mika was calling out to him, just like the other person. She was crying as she called out to him. Her voice filled with agony as she called for someone named Guren…

Guren… that name was so familiar…

Then he remembered after he jumped out of his bedroom window, the person that checked on him was-


	8. Chapter 8

Yuu is back, but what now?

(I forgot to update last week... sorry!)

* * *

Everything looked blurry when he first opened his eyes. A bright light was shining directly into his cornea. He could make out the faint outlines that looked like people. To his right, a constant beeping was heard. But the conversation was louder than the beeping.

He weakly blinked a few more times to help restore his vision. His body felt heavy but he made no effort to move just yet.

"How are you feeling? Do you feel alright?" Yuu looked up at the face that was staring down at him. His eyes eventually adjusted to the woman's face. Her thin frame glasses rested on the ridge of her nose and her eyes searched his face for an answer. Yuu could feel the dryness in his throat and opted to nod slowly instead.

"How is he, doctor?" a man's voice rang in the silence. The woman smiled at Yuu before pulling away and turning her back to him. He could barely make out two more figures in the room as his eyes slowly flutter shut but he fought to keep them opened.

"He should be okay. Most of his injuries have healed during the time he was in a comatose state. His body still seems to be recovering from the surgery so I would urge him to rest as much as he needs."

"Thank you so much. We very appreciate of your efforts," the man said. Yuu saw one of two other people approach him. Her long purple hair fell over her shoulder and her brown eyes were watery. He instantly recognized her as Mahiru, his neighbour and Shinoa's sister.

"You're going to be okay," she said as she gently caressed his forehead with her thumb. "Sleep some more. We'll talk about everything when you wake up."

Her words were reassuring and it gave Yuu a sense of security. Soon his eyes closed and he was sleeping once again. But before he drifted into a dreamless slumber, he managed to hear something that may or may not be of importance.

"Yes, we already submitted for the papers for adoption, we're just waiting on a response now."

~ Listen and Open Your Eyes ~

After spending a month and a half at the hospital, Yuu felt almost as good as new. He spent another two weeks fading in and out of consciousness after being in a comatose state for a week after the accident. He spent another week to rest his body before he started his physiotherapy to get his limbs working properly, especially since he broke his arm.

When the doctor thought him he was lucky to survive such a fall, Yuu asked them what had happened.

None of them was prepared to tell him. The doctor said he was repressing the trauma and everyone agreed that it was for the best that he forgot. He couldn't help but feel like he forgot something important but he decided to let it go.

After he was dismissed from the hospital, he moved in with Guren and Mahiru, his neighbours. Shinya and Shinoa also moved out of the Hiragi main estate when they heard what had happened to Yuu.

They, save for Shinoa, all looked at Yuu so anxiously when they arrived. He only asked about the missing house and Shinya answered that it was burnt down. Yuu didn't ask any more questions and they all moved on with their lives.

Upon returning to school, the teachers worked with him to catch up on some work he missed during he was away.

Everything was normal. He went to school, chat with his friends, came home with Shinoa, did his homework with her and sometimes if Shinya was home, he would help him. Then the five of them sit around the dinner table and each talk about their day. Guren had the least to say because he always talked about his incompetent co-workers and Yuu still doesn't know what that means.

But every now and then, he could feel the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. Something really important.

"Yuu-kun?" He looked up from his homework and he could see Shinya looking at him with worry.

"What is it?"

"I've been calling you but you weren't responding. Is there something on your mind?" Shinya asked. Shinoa stopped her work and was looking at him as well. He didn't even have to ask to know that Mahiru was listening even though she was still preparing dinner.

"I was just thinking…"

"Yuu-san thinks? " Shinoa gasped dramatically and Shinya gave her a scolding look.

"… what would happen to me if… if Guren and Mahiru-san didn't adopt me?" Yuu asked as his voice cracked at the end of the sentence. The thought frightened him; being alone and unloved.

"Why would you think about such a thing?" Shinya asked but Yuu couldn't help the bad feeling in his gut.

"I… don't know… I… I just…"

"Nee-san was so worried about you the whole time. She was the one that wanted to adopt you too since… well, your parents were kind of… gone." Yuu felt like he was seeing Shinoa in a new light when she spoke such considerate words. It was the first time that he heard the girl speak so nicely to him without attempting to make fun or tease him in anyway.

"That's right. We all took turns watching over you in the hospital. We made sure that you never felt lonely," Shinya said. Mahiru approached the kitchen table with her blue apron still on as she sat beside Shinya and across from Shinoa.

"We all understand that you're going through a hard time Yuu, but if there's anything you need from us, don't be afraid to ask, okay?" Mahiru said but Yuu gave no response.

The two adults looked at each other before she called out to him. Tears started to fall as Yuu looked up at them. They were taken back by the sight and Shinya grabbed the closest tissue box for Yuu to clean his face.

"I need to go to the hospital," Yuu said after blowing his nose.

"Why? Are you not feeling well? Does it hurt somewhere?" Mahiru asked as she rushed over to his side and inspected for any physical signs.

"No," Yuu said as he took a breath, "There's someone I need to find."

"I'm almost finished with dinner. We can go tomor-"

"No! I need to go right now! Before it's too late!" Yuu exclaimed.

"I-"

"I'll take him."

"Shinya?" Mahiru turned to her adopted brother who already stood up from his chair. "It must be really urgent if Yuu-kun is in such a rush. We'll be quick and make sure to come back to the lovely dinner to prepare for us."

"Please?" Yuu begged and Mahiru sighed. She wasn't going to win either way so she saw no point in stopping them.

The two grabbed their coats and headed out the door immediately. Yuu didn't have time to feel like a burden right now. He looked out the window as Shinya pulled out of the driveway. The missing space where his old house reminded him what had been missing from his life.

" _I no longer hear the voices."_

" _What are you talking about Mika?" Yuu asked. The voices were something that haunted him, won't it be better not to hear them anymore?_

" _I can't go back. There's no one waiting for me, no one wants me anymore…"_

" _That's not true! If I can't bring you with me, then I'll find you and bring you back from… from… from wherever I need to!" Yuu claimed and Mika looked shocked at his declaration._

" _Thank you, Yuu-chan. I'll be waiting then."_


	9. Chapter 9

We learn more about Mika's family and the accident.

(Sorry for being really bad at sticking with my new schedule. My classes are starting again next week so that's probably going to help remind me that it's Friday and it's update day lol)

* * *

Yuu never realized the holes in his plan until Shinya asked what hospital Mika was at. He only knew Mika was from Tokyo through one of their shorter conversations. There were three major hospitals in Tokyo and they already been to two of them.

Yuu didn't want to believe that the task was impossible. Staring out at the sunset, he wished with all his heart that he will find Mika. The boy had done so much for him and he wanted to repay him.

There was a chance that Mika did come back with him. But from what Mika said, it was highly unlikely.

After Shinya parked and turned off the engine, Yuu scrambled out of the vehicle and ran inside. He ignored Shinya's calls as he ran inside the building. Yuu could see many heads turned to look at him but he ignored it as he walked to the front desk.

He mentally cursed his short stature before he felt himself being lifted up.

"Hello," Shinya's voice called for the attention of the receptionist, "We're looking for someone. Would you be able to help us?"

"His name is Mika!" Yuu added.

"What would _Mika's_ last name be then?" the receptionist asked. Yuu anticipated this question as the other two places also asked the same question. But he managed to get by with describing his appearance.

"Well, I don't know but-"

"I cannot help you then," the man said as his gaze returned to the screen and started clicking away at keys.

"I can tell what he looks like! Mika had curly blond hair and blue eyes! And, and he has a really pretty laugh when laughs at funny jokes and he looks really happy when-"

"Please understand there is nothing I can do about this," the receptionist said, "I would if I can."

"Would it not be possible to ask someone from the pediatric department? Mika is a child, a little smaller than Yuu here," Shinya said as Yuu wiped away tears with his sleeve.

"Our staffing is short-handed today, I don't know if I can find someone to ask for Mika's whereabouts."

"Excuse me? Did you just say something about Mika? Mika as in Mikaela?" Yuu studied the small woman that stood next to him and Shinya.

"These two gentlemen here were here to ask if someone by the name of Mika was here in our hospital." The woman turned to them and Yuu froze under her piercing gaze that melted into a softer look in mere seconds.

"Could you be one of Mikaela's friends?" she asked and Yuu nodded, "I suspected as much since you two look about the same age." Yuu wanted to object because Mika didn't look anything close to his age. "I'm really happy to see one of his friends have come to visit him. You two must be great friends since you still remember him from three years ago. And pardon my rudeness, let me guide you two to his room while I introduce myself. My name is Krul Tepes and I'm his aunt."

"Shinya Hiragi and this is Yuuichirou…"

"Ichinose."

"Yes, Yuuichirou Ichinose," Shinya said and smiled down at the boy walking alongside him. "However, I do want to ask what do you mean by three years ago?"

"Oh, I thought you two heard about the news since you came here to the hospital to visit him. He was in an accident three years ago and he has been in a coma since then."

~ Listen and Open Your Eyes ~

The two adults stood by the end of the bed as Yuu sat on the side of the bed, holding one of Mika's hand and gently caressing it. The sight was both heartwarming and heartbreaking to watch. The way Yuu was looking at his unconscious friend was not of a small child, but someone who endured through pain and hardship. Shinya knew little about what happened in the Amane household, but it was enough to strip Yuu of his innocence.

"I could barely believe it had been three years myself when I told you," Krul said.

"Do you mind me asking what had happened?" Shinya asked.

"Come sit with me," Krul said as she moved to the couch in the far corner. Shinya joined her but the two kept watch on the small child. "Where do I even begin? So many things happened in such a small span of time that I'm still trying to accept it myself."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to. Please," Krul said as she looked at him with tired eyes. Though he did not want to distress her anymore, Shinya nodded. "I used to live my life in Russia. I came over to Japan once or twice a year to visit my half-brother's family."

"Which I assume is Mikaela's family?"

"Yes. Mikaela was such a darling of a boy. He was sweet, kind, and obedient. If I were to have a child, Mikaela would be my ideal son. But my brother took that for granted. Only after he bankrupted his small business and his wife pleaded me to help them, I never would have learned that the man had a drinking problem."

"The issue… it wasn't new?"

"Not at the slightest. I knew during my visits he would drink a little more than appropriate but I didn't know it was actually a problem. Before he lost his job, he would just drink himself to a point of unconsciousness and on the occasion yell slurs at her. But after losing his job, he lost it and became physically abusive to her and Mikaela," Krul said and Shinya gasped. "I… I never called the police or reported this. But if he was to lay another hand on those two in my presence, I would have murdered him myself."

"I don't believe that's the correct course of action either…"

"I talked to Mikaela once about this and a child who learned to speak about a year ago tells me that he thinks he's been bad so his father is punishing him. Such a young child should not even be thinking that. And yet Mikaela at 4 years old blames himself. I honestly tried so hard to get my brother back on his feet during my time in Japan. I was not going to allow his wife or son to suffer through his drunken behaviour." Krul paused and let out a small sigh. "At one point, I had to install a tracking device on my brother's phone so I know where to pick him up after drinking out since I banned all alcohol from their house."

Silence filled the space as Krul tried to recollect herself from the emotional onslaught that came with the memories. Shinya started to wonder how Yuu tied into this problem. Not to mention they have not seen each other for at least three years.

Shinya could faintly make out some words that Yuu was saying to the bedridden child. It brought back memories of Yuu's friends surrounding his hospital bed, telling him to wake up.

"Sometimes," Krul snapped Shinya out of his own thoughts, "I wonder if I could have stopped this tragedy from happening. If I did report my brother and got him the professional help he needed, or just anything from letting that madman do this to his own family. I watched him throw his own son out of the car as he sped into the mountainside. I was only able to save Mikaela before the explosion that killed him and his wife."

"You mustn't blame yourself for the responsibility of your brother. From what I hear, you did what you can. You saved Mikaela. It was unfortunate that his parents had died, but there was nothing you can do about it," Shinya said but Krul shook her head.

"I've been keeping him alive for my own selfish reasons. For my need to believe that I had not failed," Krul said bitterly, "Two years ago, the doctors told me that even if Mikaela woke up from this coma, he was going to suffer from the repercussions from being in comatose for such a long time. But even his chances of waking up had been slim… I just wanted to believe that I could do something for their family."

"Krul, I-"

"Excuse me." All heads turned to the new voice. "Visiting hours are now over so I need to kindly ask you all to leave now."

"Understood, thank you nurse," Krul said.

"Come Yuu-kun, it's time to leave now," Shinya said. Yuu turned to pout at Shinya but hopped off the bed regardless. As they stood up from the couch, Shinya said to Krul, "Thank you for letting us visit. I can't even begin to see how upset Yuu-kun would be if we missed this opportunity."

"Krul-san!" the two adults looked at Yuu but he was unashamed of his outburst. "I wanted to ask you to speak with Mika more. He feels lonely and-"

"Yuuichirou! Is that any way to talk?" Shinya scolded but Yuu only avoided his gaze instead of apologize.

"No, he's right," Krul said as she kneeled down to Yuu's level. "I should be coming here more often to see Mikaela. I promise to you that I will do that more and talk to him, okay?"

Krul held out her pinky and Yuu smiled before hooking his pinky with hers on a pinky swear.

"Okay."

"And you're more than welcome to visit Mikaela anytime. If you don't remember the room number, just ask the front desk for Mikaela Shindo."


	10. Chapter 10

Mika stared at the space where Yuu once was. He was worried for a moment but before he knew it, Yuu was gone. He was happy that Yuu was able to leave, but he couldn't help but feel the empty feeling in his stomach now that he was alone again.

He knew that Yuu was able to be saved, just like the others. Mika knew have had to face his fear once again so that he could meet Yuu again, but in the real world.

Retracing his steps, he walked through the darkness by himself. It still amazed them that regardless of how far they went, Saito always knew how to get back to the forest; the place they choose to stay in and guard the bridge. Mika often wondered if there was anyone before Saito that was guarding the bridge. But he never found the opportunity to ask.

The familiar squeak of metal was heard as Mika walked closer and closer to his first destination. He could see the child swinging back and forth of the swing, just as the way they had left her.

Sometimes he wondered if he should have spoken up with his suggestion so Saito wouldn't have left. Or wish that they never met her so that Saito didn't become another memory in Mika's head. Regardless, Yuu cared about her so he will do what he can for her.

Even standing right in front of her, the girl made no effort to look up at him or acknowledge his presence.

"Ako-chan," Mika called but there was no response. He expected as much. "Your dad told me he's waiting for you somewhere else."

The squeaking stopped and so did Ako. The girl rested her tip toes on the ground as she looked up at Mika with big blank eyes.

"Pa… pa?" the girl spoke and Mika nodded. "Where is… papa?"

"He's waiting for you," Mika said with his hand extended out. "I came here to lead you there. He's busy right now but he wants to see you again."

"I want to see papa too," Ako said as she moved her hand from the swing and held Mika's. She stood up and looked up at Mika with a lost expression.

"Don't worry, you'll see papa soon," Mika said as the swing set disappeared. They walked in silence as Mika retraced his steps. They stopped a few times when Ako pointed out a stop sign or traffic light. He listened to her instructions and went along with her to not alarm her of his inability to see those. Yuu didn't stop them when they were together. Mika started to wonder if Yuu had a different reality to Ako where only the park overlapped for them.

"Is papa waiting for me at the river bank?" Ako asked, a smile adorned her face with a longing expression.

"Yes, but he's in the forest. He has something to show you," Mika said as they walked down the mountain side. The forest was the only place that remained the same for everyone but it was located in different parts of everyone's memory.

"I wonder if he wanted to catch some fishy again," Ako said as they stepped onto the cracked road. A distance buzz of a car could be heard. Mika ignored it and tried to focus on Ako instead. Just for now, he wanted to help the little girl, he wanted to finish what Saito couldn't. He will have to deal with it later anyways.

"Do you like catching fish?"

"Yeah! Papa is so good at it. We caught five of them once! But we put them back in the water after because papa said the fishy has families too so we didn't want to keep them apart for too long," Ako said. The last thing Mika heard before they went into the forest of the deafening crunch of metal.

"That's really nice of your papa."

"Mhm, I really love papa! Where's your papa, nii-san?" Ako asked as they avoided the long branches that stretched out from the trees.

Mika thought about what to say to her. Was he to be honest and tell the dead girl that his father had died in a car crash or lie that the man was waiting for him somewhere? Ako spent such a long time waiting because of a promise her father made that she clung onto that hope and refused to listen to anyone else.

Ako was the first one that Saito failed to help and he started to fall apart himself. If Mika had spoken up with his suggestion or said something in the moment, perhaps Saito would not be suffering so much as he watched each of the colours in his vision slip away from him just as it eventually happened to Mika.

"Papa!" Ako exclaimed. Her hand slipped out of Mika's as she ran towards the bridge. Mika continued to walk to the bridge as he watched Ako glow just like everyone else that stepped on the bridge to the other side.

But his eyes widen when he saw another glowing silhouette at the end of the bridge. Ako ran to hug the figure. Mika could feel the figure look at him and smile before the two dispersed into light particles.

Mika fell to the ground at the sight. He wanted to believe it was a dream or it was his own imagination, but in this separate space of reality, Mika learned not to question hints he wouldn't get an answer to. But the fact that that figure… that man was there, waiting for Ako, there was no doubt it was her father.

It must have meant that the man died long before and since he could no longer find his daughter, he opted to wait for her to come instead.

There were people that had a chance to go back, who had people that cared about them and reached out to them. Just like Yuu, they were loved and cared for. They had people that loved them unconditionally. But even Ako, whose father had died, had someone waiting for her on the other side of the bridge.

No matter how much he focused, the voices never came to Mika. There was no one who wanted him anymore. Even the many times he stared at the plain wooden bridge, he couldn't see his parents reaching out to accept him, to love him, to tell him that they were a family once again.

The tears wouldn't stop but Mika did nothing to stop them either. There was no one else to see him, no one around. He was truly alone.

The teardrops stained his pants and some fell onto the flowers that Mika can no longer distinguish as red.

* * *

I'm sorry


	11. Chapter 11

Yuu didn't hear much of the conversation between Krul and Shinya. He was focused on calling out to Mika. He started to ask Mika to wake up since he really wanted to meet him again in the real world, one where they look about the same age and not have all these machinery used to keep Mika alive. Then he decided to talk about his life after he woke up. Mika always loved to hear about those stories.

When he started to run out of things to say, Yuu started to panic. He needed to keep talking to Mika to bring him back and the thoughts of his parents came back as well. He never really talked to anyone about his parents.

He tried to find the right words but there was no way to express everything that happened. He held onto Mika's hand tighter as he tried to will himself to speak. Mika was counting on him, but he can't bring himself to speak as he was assaulted by the very vivid images of the accident. He wanted to speak anything would do, but no words came out.

If the nurse hadn't walked in and interrupted his thought process, he wouldn't be able to control his emotions any longer.

The car ride back home, his new home, was silence. Shinya probably noticed that Yuu didn't want to speak. He always picked up on those subtle cues after all.

Guren was back and they were all waiting for the two to return before they ate dinner. Guren teased Yuu briefly before stopping after seeing the lack of response. Dinner was still full of clatter and laughter but none of them came from Yuu.

Yuu excused himself from dinner after eating a few bites of food. He normally ate a lot more than necessary for a small boy like him but he didn't feel like stuffing his face with food.

He thought about laying in bed for the rest of the night but he thought a nice hot shower would do him some good.

The warm water did help melt away some of the stress he was dealing with. It was almost criminal to not have hot showers in that other world. To think that he had only been there for a week, Mika spent three years there. But it was hard to tell time with the unmoving sun.

He exited the bathroom and intended on walking to his room but he stopped when he heard the mention of Mika's name.

"Shindo? It sounds really familiar…" Mahiru said in a hushed whisper but was loud enough for Yuu to hear.

"Weren't they on the news before? There was a terrible accident and there were no survivors," Guren said, not bothering to lower his voice.

"Krul-san must have kept Mikaela away from the media. It only makes sense not to have the poor boy hounded by reporters," Shinya added. "But Mikaela had been in a coma since he was 5. Where did Yuu meet him?"

"Maybe they were friends before the accident," Mahiru suggested.

"In any case, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Guren said and the sounds of rustling paper could be heard.

Yuu walked down to the main floor and ignored the surprised looks from the three adult. He quietly walked to the kitchen and got a drink of water.

"How was your shower?" Mahiru asked.

"Good."

"Are you hungry? I can heat up some leftovers for you," Mahiru suggested when Yuu walked out of the open kitchen.

"No thank you."

"Was Yuu actually being polite?"

"Guren!" Mahiru hissed as Yuu reached the top floor. He walked into his room and closed the door to his room before he could hear anymore of Mahiru's scolding.

He crawled into bed and looked at his dimly lit room. To think that he started to live here only a month ago and it already felt more like home than when he lived with his parents. The couple, plus Shinya, wasted no time to welcome Yuu into his new home. Having Shinoa there as well was both a blessing and a pain. Even with his half empty room, he felt much more safe and loved in his new home.

When Yuu heard the door knob turn, he instinctively turned to face the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. It was only when Shinya called his name that he relaxed.

"I'm asleep," Yuu softly called out.

"People that are asleep doing say that."

"Maybe I do."

"They also don't reply." Yuu decided to be quiet. Shinya let out a soft chuckle before sitting down on the bed. "Is there something bothering you? If there is, you can talk to me about it."

"I don't want to talk about it," Yuu mumbled.

"That's okay too. But just know that we are here for you," Shinya said.

"I know…"

"I was also talking with Mahiru. We should be able to take you to visit Mikaela once a week," Shinya casually mentioned.

"Really?" Yuu exclaimed as he sat up, looking at Shinya with big hopeful eyes.

"Yes," Shinya softly laughed, "We'll let you know tomorrow what we have planned but sleep for now."

"Aren't you going to ask me about Mika?" Yuu asked. Shinya looked surprised by the question but let out a breath and lightly ruffled Yuu's hair.

"You'd tell if you wanted to," Shinya said and Yuu hugged him, "Yuu?"

"Thank you," Yuu said, his voice muffled against Shinya's shirt. Shinya gave him a small pat on the back before tucking him in for the night since Yuu still had school in the morning.

The days went on as normal, aside from Yuu growing silent once in a while. It was almost saddening to see the distance look on his face. They tried to get professional help for him but he wasn't cooperating so they decided to wait until he was ready.

And true to his promise, Shinya and Mahiru brought Yuu to visit Mika. Sometimes Guren was the one to take Yuu if the other two were both busy.

Yuu always talked about his week to Mika. He would tell him what he was doing at school, what kind of good food he ate, anything interesting that happened and so on. A few times, he entered the room to see Krul talking to Mika like he suggested. On a recent visit, he learned that she was a very successful business lady and told Mika he has a really cool aunt. But there was never a response.

It was disheartening to see the happy and bright child that would always smile at him be laying almost lifeless on a hospital bed with various tunes and machinery around him. To make matters worse, Mika's condition was not doing so well when Yuu first visited and there had been no improvement since then.

Yuu started to wish that he had stayed if he had known how lonely it would be to wait for Mika to come back. But he had to keep his promise.

" _You have to pinky promise me!"_

" _Pinky promise?"_

" _You don't know what it is? Okay, so hold out your pinky, and then I hook mine to yours and curl up your pinky like mine. Yup, now I promise that if I return to the real world first, I will find you and call you back!"_

" _And I promise to go back to the real world and find Yuu-chan."_

" _Remember your pinky promise, okay?"_

"…Yuu-kun?"

Yuu looked up at the back of Shinya's head. He could barely make out the clear blue eyes that glanced back at him in the rear view mirror before focusing on the road. "Yes, Shinya?"

"I know you're a good boy, but… when we get to the hospital, I need you to be on your best behaviour. Krul-san sounded very worried over the phone."

"Mika… he's going to be okay… right?"

"I… I don't know either. But let's both hope that he's okay."


	12. Chapter 12

I apologize in advance for any tears that you may shed reading this chapter.

* * *

Mika stared blankly at the colourless ball in his hand. Despite the grey staring back at him, it was one of the few things that were left behind after Yuu was gone. The forest had been quiet since Ako finally moved on.

Ever since then, Mika could feel the colours of his world slowly fade away once again. Just as quickly as he regained them, he had lost them.

The only colour that stared back at him now was green, the same colour that looked at him with curiosity, wonder, and happiness. But now brought a dull ache in his heart that he'll never see those beautiful eyes again.

Mika tried, he really did. He tried to go back to the place, the place where his mother pushed him from the out of control car driven by his drunken father. He could still remember the hysterical look in her eyes, how she told him it was for the best and that she loved him before his small body landed harshly against the concrete.

He shook away the thought and started to wish that he wasn't born, just like what his father screamed at him one night.

He looked up with watery eyes at the bridge at the other end of the clearing. Its mere presence was mocking him. He remembered what Saito said that people who no longer see colour shall cross it. But what if they almost lost their colours? Would it be alright for him to cross it while being taunted by the last colour that remained?

Mika shakily stood up, the ball falling off his lap with a dull thud on the grass. He slowly walked to the wooden bridge. With each step, his intentions grew firm.

He stopped a step shy from the first wooden plank on the bridge. He rested his hand on the railing and felt the material. He had never been this close to the bridge before as he was afraid it would suck him into death. But he didn't care anymore.

Mika looked up to see two familiar faces staring back at him. The one that resembled his mother beckoned to him but it only caused unwanted memories to surface. His father yelling, his mother crying, the car crashing and the last thing he remembered was the car was engulfed in flames. He involuntarily took a step back as he was flooded with the screams and cries before he slipped unconscious into this world.

The two figures frowned at the action. Part of him wanted to go, he wanted to go to his dead parents, but he was unable to. His resolve to cross the bridge crumbled with the appearance of his parents. He said time and time again that he wanted to be with them, but now that they're here, he couldn't face the reality he was trying to escape.

" _Mika!"_

He turned around when he heard Yuu's voice. He was sure that was Yuu. But he was gone, back to the real world, there was no way-

Yuu found him.

He knew it was silly to hope that Yuu would eventually find him, but he did it. Yuu kept his promise.

"Sorry, mother, father," Mika said as he looked at the two figures. The one that resembled his mother looked sad and disappointed while his father looked angry, really angry. Mika's heart clenched at the sight, his body tense with fear. He never wanted his mother to be sad or his father angry. He wanted them to be happy. But they're dead. His parents were dead. "You're not real!"

As quickly as they were to appear, they were just as quick to disappear. The tension left his body and he fell to the ground. Tears fell from his eyes, but they were tears of relief, relief that he was finally free from being haunted by his parents.

With new found courage, Mika walked down out of the forest. The humming of the engine was heard as Mika stood by the roadside. It was the same scene that played over and over again each time he left the forest. Like a never-ending nightmare that replays itself to remind Mika about his ruined family and now deceased parents. It no longer mattered that his parents won't be there when he wakes up, because Yuu will be there. As long as he has Yuu, he doesn't care about what will happen to him as an orphan.

Mika watched as the silver car door open in the distance. He could picture the tear-stained face of his mother as she pushed him, a replicate of the memory, out of the moving vehicle.

No matter how many times he sees or recalls the scene, it causes an involuntary chill down his spine. He should have felt tremendous pain from the impact, but all Mika felt was empty as he watched the blood seep out of his replicate's body.

He used to be horrified of the sight, seeing himself lying so unnaturally on the side of the road in a pool of his own blood.

He looked up from his dying replicate and watched the inevitable accident. What he didn't see, or notice the other times, was the car coming from the other direction. Because the car had been driving on the wrong lane, his father turned the car, smashing the vehicle right into the side of the cliff. The car burst into flames and this was the last of the memory that he could recall, but the scene did not fade away.

People he didn't recognize exited the car that avoided collision with his father's car. They must have been the ones who called for an ambulance, but why were they not looking in his direction? They were staring at the flame-engulfed car where his parents' screams were heard even from where he stood.

"Mikaela!"

He turned at the call of his name and his eyes widened at the sight. His aunt rushed right past him and knelt down beside the replication.

"Mikaela! Oh my god, Mikaela, Mika, dear, can you hear me?" Krul cried out as she surveyed the child. Her hands were hovering over his body, but she didn't touch him, afraid that even the slightest movement would hurt him. Mika noticed her clothing was starting to get soaked in the blood that pooled around his limp body but it didn't bother her. "Hey, you two!"

This caught the attention of the two other people that were watching the car.

"Is that a child?"

"What happened?"

"Please, can… can you call for an ambulance, he can't… I can't let him die like this…" Krul said, her voice thick with emotion. Mika had never seen his aunt, who was always so strong, cry at all. "Please…"

"They should be on the way!" One of the guys called out. The two decided give Krul some space as she continued to cry over Mika's replicate.

"Don't close your eyes darling, you'll be just fine," Krul said soothingly as her eyes roamed over Mika's tattered body once more. "You're going to… going to be just fine… okay?"

"Krul…" Mika softly cried out as he watched how his aunt was crying… crying over him. He thought that he was alone since his parents were no longer alive. He forgot about that Krul had been with their family when his father to get drunk at night. How she spoke to mother reassuringly and took him to school. How he cried in her arms as he worried about his father. But he never knew that Krul cared for him that much.

He slowly walked over to her and gently tried to wrap his arms around her. He knew that he would phase through the memory of his aunt, but he wanted to do something, anything to relieve the pain in his heart to see his aunt like this.

"I'm sorry Krul…"

"Please Mika, please open your eyes…"


	13. Chapter 13

We're almost at the end! Next chapter will be the last! Thank you for all the support so far 3

* * *

Yuu saw Krul pacing back and forth in front of Mika's room. She didn't seem to notice their presence until Shinya called out to her.

"Is Mika okay?" Yuu asked. From the way she hesitated, Yuu knew the answer already.

"The last time this happened, they put him on life support. But he's already on life support and I… I don't know what I would do if I lose him too," Krul said as she fell onto a plastic chair in the hall. She used her hands to cover over her face as she sat there with her head down.

"Please calm down-"

"Calm down?" Krul said as she pulled her hands away so her voice was not muffled, "Did you just ask me to calm down?" She looked up at Shinya with tears in her eyes but her teeth bared in anger, "My brother went missing 5 years ago, my half-brother and his wife died 3 years ago and my nephew is about to die and you're telling me to calm down!"

Shinya was taken back by Krul's outburst but he understood that Krul was under a lot of stress. He didn't blame her. However, he was more surprised when Yuu approached her and placed his hand on her knee. She too looked surprised at Yuu, who smiled at her.

"Mika will be okay. We have to believe in him." Krul slipped from her chair and knelt down to hug Yuu. Yuu wrapped his small arms around Krul's neck to hug her back.

Krul's soft cries were the only thing heard in the empty hallway as they all waited.

When the doctor and nurses came out, Krul and Shinya were sitting on the seats while Yuu was on Shinya's lap, half-asleep.

"How is he?" Krul immediately asked the doctor as Shinya gathered Yuu in his arms before joining her side.

"He managed to pull through and he was awake for a brief moment. I can say with confidence that he's going to be fine. With that said, it has been three years since he has been in comatose so we'll be closely monitoring him. He'll need at least a year and a half of intense physical therapy but we will arrange that for you," the doctor said.

"Thank you so much doctor. Could I perhaps go in to see him?" Krul asked.

"Of course, but he's asleep at the moment," the doctor said and Krul thanked him once again before he left.

"Thank you Shinya-san. You and Yuu had been great help for me and Mikaela," Krul said, "And sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry about it. It must have been a lot of stress on you after all. And I believe that Yuu-kun deserves most of your thanks," Shinya said as they looked at the sleeping child. "I'll tell him that Mika is okay after he wakes up."

"Thank you so much. Just thank you," Krul smiled weakly before walking into the room.

~ Listen and Open Your Eyes ~

Yuu slowly woke up to the smell of food. He wanted to get up because food, but he liked the warmth he was enveloped in. He shifted a bit and the blanket atop of him shuffled a bit along with his movements. He could hear someone talking close by but he tried to tune them out.

It wasn't until Mahiru shook him gently to call him for dinner that Yuu sat up and surveyed his surroundings. It took him a moment but he realized he was no longer at the hospital.

"Where's Mika?" Yuu exclaimed.

"At the hospital?" Mahiru said in a confused manner.

"So he's okay?" Yuu said, panicked.

"Ask Shinya, he has all the answers," Mahiru said as Shinya walked into the room.

"Ask me what?" He asked as Mahiru patted his shoulder and left the room.

"Mika, is he okay?" Yuu asked and Shinya smiled at him.

"He's fine. The doctor said he finally woke up but will need some rest. You fell asleep so I brought you home," Shinya said. Yuu looked at the blanket that covered his body. That makes a lot of sense now.

"Can we go visit him tomorrow?" Yuu asked, looking at Shinya with his puppy eyes.

"I know you're excited, but remember Mikaela needs to rest first," Shinya said and Yuu pouted, "I did ask Krul to let us know when we are allowed to visit him."

"Okay… But then doesn't that mean Krul can't visit him either?"

"She's Mikaela-san guardian and family so she can."

"Is anyone hungry?" Mahiru asked as she poked her head into the living room. Yuu's stomach chose that precise moment to growl though he already felt his body craving food from just the smell. "Good news, dinners ready with Shinoa helping me!"

"Shinoa was in the kitchen…" Yuu paled at the thought.

"Don't be like that," Mahiru scolded lightly. "Shinoa worked very hard and I made sure to keep watch on her. You'll survive."

Yuu and Shinya walked into the dining room to see they were having curry tonight. However, the fact that Shinoa's little hands helped prepare the meal had tainted his appetite.

"I'm home," Guren's voice echoed into the house.

"Welcome home," Mahiru called out as she helped Shinoa into the seat. They've been meaning to get her a step stool but Shinoa had been extremely picky with what she wanted. "You're just in time too."

"Dinner smells amazing," Guren said as he walked over to Mahiru and gave her a quick kiss. Yuu made a disgust sound while Shinoa giggled.

"Thank you, Shinoa helped me today." Guren looked at the food with unease.

"Shinoa did? … Is this safe to eat?"

"Have a little more faith in me, Guren. I was with Shinoa," Mahiru scoffed.

"Of course I trust you," Guren said and sat down.

"Yeah! I did good today!" Shinoa exclaimed, traces of curry sauce were left on the corner of her lips.

"I bet you did," Shinya said and Shinoa smiled.

As terrifying as the idea of Shinoa being in the kitchen and help make dinner, everyone had to agree it turned out very well. Then again, Mahiru had always been a great cook.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry for the late update! I got so excited and worked up about my assignments that I almost forget to update LOL

Anyways, here's the last chapter for this story :) I just like to thank everyone again for their support! I value every comment and favourite received 3

* * *

It had been about two months before Yuu was allowed to visit Mika. Since Mika had been in a coma for three years, it had affected a lot of his physical development, such as muscle mass and dexterity among other things.

It was odd to see his friend who looked older and taller since he was used to the Mika that was almost a whole head shorter than him. But Mika greeted him with the same warm smile he yearned to see.

They talked a lot like usual, but it was mostly Yuu taking again.

He was curious to what had happened to Mika and how he got back, but it doesn't matter as much as Mika being with him in reality now.

Krul visited Mika the most often. Almost every time Yuu went, she was already there or just about to leave. According to Mika, Krul had been visiting daily, or attempt to as she was very busy. The two of them seemed a lot happier too; Krul seeing Mika awake again and Mika has someone who deeply cares about him.

Guren, Mahiru, and Shinya all met Mika too when bringing Yuu to visit the blond child. Shinoa even tagged along once, only for it to be her last visit as she told Mika all the embarrassing stories she had about Yuu.

Krul and Mahiru went to get a coffee together and when they returned, they saw Yuu running after Shinoa who was still trying to tell Mika about the time Yuu cried because he thought he lost his teddy.

Sometimes Yuu would bring a book from school that he thought was interesting and that Mika would like to read. During those first few weeks, he watched Mika struggle to even flip a page or even hold the book in his hands instead of keeping it on his lap.

He looked frustrated too when he couldn't do something so simple. Yuu offered to help but Mika wanted to try it himself. He didn't mind if they didn't finish the book because Mika was having troubles.

Yuu started to read a lot more because he would explain the ending for Mika if they were running out of time during his visit.

It took another year for Mika to fully recover. By that time, Mika was caught up both physically and academically with his peers. Everyone was rather surprised that his academic levels were better than they were when he was involved in the accident.

Krul said he was just naturally smart and Yuu agreed since Mika was better at his Japanese exercises than himself even before he woke up.

After Mika left the hospital, Yuu would visit him at his house and vice versa. It took little effort to convince Krul to have Mika attend the same school as Yuu and Shinoa did.

Since Krul was still working full hours from her company, Mika would go with Yuu and Shinoa after school until Krul came around to pick him up. If she was working overtime or staying back a few hours unexpectedly, Mika would have dinner with the Ichinose. Sometimes, Shinoa or Shinya would join them for dinner.

Mahiru didn't mind but Guren was a little less than happy. But Guren is always like that so no one paid much mind to him.

School was a lot to take in at first since Mika had to get used to the routine. But everyone was really nice and accepting so it made the transition much easier. Yuu never admitted out loud that he was jealous of how popular Mika got in just one day. But Mika was always his friend no matter what so it didn't matter as much.

Yuu also introduced Mika to Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Kimizuki, who were all in different classes for the year. They all got along well, especially Yoichi. Shinoa even joked that Mika and Yoichi were long lost twins based on their similar personality.

Yuu was happy to see Mika surrounded by people who loved him. He couldn't recall the first time he met Mika, but he could still remember the blond appeared rather lonely.

As the years went by, their bond grew stronger. It was probably the amount of time they spent with each other. The same could be said with Shinoa, but Yuu saw her as family so that was different. Mika was just… different, but a good kind of different.

"I can't believe I did so bad on the test," Yuu whined as they walked home. He passed, but not ideally.

"You should have studied harder, Yuu-chan," Mika said and Yuu made an estranged noise. Mika laughed in response, "I understand the appeal of video games, but this is what happens when you use the time that was for studying to beat the high score."

"I was so close!" Yuu exclaimed, then turned to glare at the third member, "And if someone didn't use the name 'Cherry Boy' as their name on the leaderboard, I wouldn't be trying so hard."

"Ahaha, this is my fault now because you're not as good as video games than me?" Shinoa asked and Yuu growled at her. "Besides, people will think you're good at the game now, Cherry boy."

"I'm only 14!"

Mika only watched as the two bantered. Growing up with them, he learned it was better to let them do their thing rather than intervening. He would step in and stop them if things were getting too out of hand, but it wasn't unusual for Shinoa to tease Yuu as such. Mika also had to admit that Yuu was fun to tease.

Mika felt a small tug on his blazer and turned to see a small child looking back at him. There was something very familiar about him.

The little boy didn't do anything but stare at him with his dark brown eyes.

Then the boy smiled before turning around and ran towards the woman standing in close by, who Mika assumed to be his mother. The woman held him by the hand and walked off in the opposite direction.

The boy turned around while walking to wave at Mika, a wave of nostalgia hit him.

Mika waved back as he watched the two disappear into the distance, just as he watched Saito disappear when he walked to the other side of the bridge. But this time, Saito was with someone instead of being by himself.

"Mika?" Mika turned around to see his two friends looking at him from a distance. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Mika said as he jogged to catch up to them, "Just saw an old friend is all."

"Ooooooh, are they single? If they're desperate enough, Yuu-san is single as well," Shinoa said and squealed as she dodged Yuu when he lunged for her.

"I swear I'm going to kill you!" Yuu exclaimed as he ran after her. Mika didn't bother this time.

He briefly looked back as if he would see the boy again. Mika wondered if he really did remember him, or if it was just a feeling of familiarity. Either way, he was happy to see him again, lifting the last burden off his shoulder so that he can truly leave behind the other world.

* * *

I'd like to thank everyone that gotten this far into the fic, whether you were following along while I posted it or just found it and read the completed story. I had this idea for a little while now but I never quite figured out how I wanted to write it. But with a little help from a friend, I found the strength to write and post this story. I really do hope that you enjoyed this story as much as I did! Thank you again for reading 3


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